US 
Canada 
Mexico 
Spain 
UK 
Ireland 
Australia 
Argentina 
Chile 
Colombia 
Uruguay 
Paraguay 
Peru 
Ecuador 
Venezuela 
Costa Rica 
Honduras 
Guatemala 
Bolivia 
Dominican Rep. 9 Lives
- Original title
- 9 Leben
- Year
- 2010
- Running time
- 105 min.
- Country
Germany- Director
- Screenwriter
- Cast
-
Documentary
- Cinematography
- Reinhold Vorschneider (B&W)
- Producer
- Genre
- Documentary | Music Documentary
- Synopsis
- Troubled street kids are hardly a new subject for the big or small screen, so Maria Speth's achievement with 9 Lives is all the more remarkable. Her approach is radically stark, striking and original: she interviews seven young people who've survived living rough in Berlin (thus enjoying the proverbial feline good fortune to which the title alludes). Interviews take place in a blank, white-walled studio and are recorded via immaculate digital monochrome – an odd combination of clinical exactness and fashion-shoot glamour. But this doesn't mean that 9 Lives is detached from its subjects, or that it aestheticises their hardships. Instead, thanks to Speth's empathetic questioning, the way she earns and rewards her interviewees' trust – and encourages them to open up – and the time she allows them to reflect upon their experiences, this imaginatively edited film becomes a moving testament to resilience, resourcefulness, and to the crucial importance of “alternative” communities. Unflinching and non-judgemental, 9 Lives is must-see material for anyone concerned by the ever-topical issues it addresses, and for anyone interested in finding the cutting edge of European documentary cinema.
- Movie Soulmates' ratings
-
Register so you can access movie recommendations tailored to your movie taste.
- Friends' ratings
-
Register so you can check out ratings by your friends, family members, and like-minded members of the FA community.
Is the synopsis/plot summary missing? Do you want to report a spoiler, error or omission? Please send us a message.
If you are not a registered user please send us an email to [email protected]
If you are not a registered user please send us an email to [email protected]
All copyrighted material (movie posters, DVD covers, stills, trailers) and trademarks belong to their respective producers and/or distributors.
For US ratings information please visit: www.mpaa.org www.filmratings.com www.parentalguide.org
